Commandos from M Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, conducted a maritime training exercise involving aerial insertion from a Commando Helicopter Force Merlin helicopter.
The activity was documented in a 46-second video posted on the UK Commando Force Operations social media account. The footage shows Royal Marines exiting the Merlin aircraft and preparing to jump into the sea as part of a routine training scenario. The exercise formed part of a joint training evolution with 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines.
Jumping into the weekend with M Company, @42_commando.
Dropped off by a Commando Helicopter Force Merlin, to link up with @47CdoRM.
We wish all our friends and followers a hoofing weekend. 🗡 pic.twitter.com/CYhxWaqVFT— UK Commando Force Operations (@Commando_Ops) June 27, 2025
42 Commando is a specialist unit of the Royal Marines based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth. It is configured for operations as a Commando Strike Company, focusing on maritime interdiction, raiding, and littoral manoeuvre tasks as part of the UK Commando Force. M Company is one of its subordinate rifle companies.
47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines, based at RM Tamar in HMNB Devonport, is responsible for small boat and amphibious raiding operations. The unit operates a range of watercraft, including Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC), Commando Raiding Craft (CRC), and Inflatable Raiding Craft (IRC), supporting both clandestine and overt operations in the littoral environment.
The Merlin MK4 helicopter used in the training is operated by the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), a Fleet Air Arm formation which provides battlefield lift capability to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. The Merlin MK4 is a medium-lift helicopter optimised for shipborne operations and troop insertion in coastal and maritime environments.
This joint training event illustrates the integrated operating model of the Commando Force, which is structured to deliver rapid, dispersed effects in the littoral battlespace. Such exercises are conducted regularly to maintain operational readiness, refine insertion techniques, and practise coordination between aviation and raiding elements.
The UK Commando Force is undergoing a long-term transformation under the Royal Navy’s Future Commando Force (FCF) programme, which seeks to deliver more agile, technology-enabled, and persistently deployed commando forces capable of conducting operations in contested maritime spaces.
Well they did get there ships took off them 😟
I’d suspect that the people involved were undergoing training for the SBS and not the marines.
That used to be done from Sea Kings…..
Out the back of low flying Hercules even.
No ships lads. Have to bloody swim. .
Realistically the marine merlin is significantly under armed. With our a Apache equiv designed for martime operations, any commando force would be very lightly armed and so unable to do much.
The marine merlin should be fitted with either a guided rocker pod or brimstone or failing that marlet. With so few airframes its insane they have to reply on the wildcat.
Completely different role – not relevant.
It’s the same role, the merlin is designed to get the marines into combat, and support them when they are there.
They’re troop transporters, not gun ships. But what would I know, I was only with CHF for 22 years? Besides which, if you did start adding all those offensive Mods, you would greatly reduce the primary role, endurance and ultimately time on task, due to weight penalties.
I mean look how they were used in various sbs raids on the captured cargo ship, in these they were used as air support. In operation barras the Chinook were used as air support. Not really many examples in modern history where the commando have been deployed in their main role and when they have it’s machine gun based helicopters providing air support which is very limited compared to say the US marine versions.